Secret Service Joins Search for Homicide Suspect Who Escaped Hospital in Washington

File Photo: A member of the Secret Service is seen in front of the home of former President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on August 9, 2022. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

The United States Secret Service has joined authorities in the District of Columbia to search for a homicide suspect who escaped police custody on Sept. 6, officials have confirmed.

The suspect, 30-year-old Christopher Haynes, escaped custody at the George Washington University (GW) Hospital in Washington’s Foggy Bottom shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

On the same day, Mr. Haynes had been charged with a “homicide offense,” police said, without providing further details regarding the charges.

Paris Lewbel, a D.C. police spokesman, told The Washington Post that Mr. Haynes had been arrested on a D.C. Superior Court warrant charging him with murder.

Police did not state why the suspect was at the hospital.

It is not clear how the suspect was able to flee police custody, however, his escape prompted an emergency shelter-in-place order for GW’s Foggy Bottom campus around 4:00 p.m. The order described Mr. Haynes as a “dangerous individual,” and urged people not to engage with him.

Classes, events, and activities scheduled for Wednesday night were canceled following his escape, although the shelter-in-place order was later lifted at around 8:15 p.m.

However, with the suspect still at large, the university still advised members of the community to “exercise caution moving around campus.”

“Suspect not believed to be in FB area. In-person classes & events resume tomorrow; see email for info and resources,” the university said.

Mr. Haynes was initially described by police as a black male who is roughly six feet tall and weighs approximately 205 pounds with a “medium brown complexion.”

Temporary Closures Around White House

He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and grey shorts underneath a white body suit, according to an initial press release from the Metropolitan Police Department, although in an update later on Wednesday, officials said Mr. Haynes also had shoulder-length dreadlocks and was last seen wearing a white suit with one red shoe.

Police said he was not wearing any handcuffs.

Law enforcement officials also told CNN that Mr. Haynes has a prominent Washington “W” tattoo on the front of his neck.

It is not clear if Mr. Haynes is armed but police have warned members of the public not to engage with him and instead contact law enforcement.

The Secret Service’s Uniformed Division is also assisting in the search for Mr. Haynes, Anthony Guglielmi, chief of Communications for the agency, said in a post on X Wednesday.

He added that temporary and precautionary closures were put in place around the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Ave, around the White House, which is less than a mile from the hospital.

A spokesperson for George Washington University Hospital told CNN the hospital remains “fully operational” and is coordinating with local authorities.

The FBI is currently offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to Mr. Haynes’ arrest.

Anyone with information on Haynes’ whereabouts is being urged to contact the police at 202-727-9099 or submit information anonymously online to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411.